Mod 2 Motorbike Test Failures
Students always ask what are the reasons for mod 2 motorbike test failures. 3 Counties Motorcycling train and test around Berkshire, Surrey and Hampshire. We typically take students to Farnborough, Uxbridge, Oxford and Newbury test centres for Mod 2 motorbike tests. Regardless of where we test we find the main reasons for mod 2 motorbike test failures are nothing to do with motorbiking itself but are general road-craft issues i.e. committing a serious error that would be the same whether you are testing in a car, truck or motorbike.
3 Counties Motorcycling pride ourselves on a pass rate above the national average for motorbike tests. So recently we looked at the reasons for the failures that have happened so far this year. In order of the number of times they occurred they are the following.
#1 is the classic of leaving an indicator on and the examiner having to intervene and tell the candidate to cancel the indicator so as not to create a dangerous situation should another road user respond to it. Now this could be considered motorbike-specific as (most*) motorbike indicators do not self-cancel. But it can happen in car tests too. (*some higher spec modern bikes may have electronic time-out cancelling of indicators).
#2 is progress and that usually means failing to create sufficient progress in a national speed limit when the road type, traffic and weather conditions dictated it was safe to do so. 3CMT spend some time during our training courses on building confidence to make sufficient and safe progress.
#3 is being in the wrong lane for a given direction, usually at a roundabout and doing something other than as dictated by lane and sign markings e.g. tuning right in an ahead-only lane. On your mod 2 motorbike test if you find yourself in the wrong lane for the intended direction then go in that wrong direction safely and the examiner will sort it out with some new directions.
#4 is speed limit broken and typically that is missing a change of speed limit when it is reducing e.g. 40mph to 30mph. Some obvious signs were missed.
#5 is causing another vehicle to take action e.g. going through a traffic calming measure when you don’t have the priority, or passing a parked vehicle, and causing the oncoming vehicle to slow down or take some action.
When you think about the above, none of these are motorbike-specific issues and may largely come from test stress resulting in a poor decision. It is important to be as “in the zone” as possible on your mod 2 motorbike test, being conscious of all your decisions and actions based on some simple direction requests by the examiner. If you want to read how the motorbike test is marked you can read the gov.uk information here.
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